


(Don't) Stay Out Of The Fire

by purgatoan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Burns, Canon Compliant, Case Fic, Explicit Language, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, M/M, Masturbation, Mild Smut, Minor Character(s), Pining Dean, Post Season/Series 12, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-12 02:24:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11727549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purgatoan/pseuds/purgatoan
Summary: Scorching hot California isn’t the best place to be solving a case at in summer, but Sam and Dean take on the challenge anyway. However, the weather isn’t the only thing that’s burning there.





	(Don't) Stay Out Of The Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta’d, so all the mistakes are mine!
> 
> I forgot how much I love writing case fics, ahhh. Anyway, thanks so so much to WWC mods for giving me an extension, ‘cause I loved writing this one and I hope I did the prompt justice! Also, it’s my second fill for SPN Kink Bingo and I’m excited to attack my Bingo Card, now that I’ve got time :) Hope you’re going to like it, guys!

“Dean!” Sam shouted and Dean woke up, his hand reaching for the gun lying under his pillow as he sat on the bed. He took the safety off without fully processing what he was doing and turned his head in the direction of the sound.

When Dean opened his eyes, his gaze fell over his brother sitting next to a table. Nothing seemed out of ordinary, and he relaxed as he took in the surroundings, realizing nothing was going on.

The sunlight was peeking through the curtains, the sun rays blinding him with their intensity as he rubbed his eyes with his fists, yawning. “What the hell, Sam?”

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past hour, you jerk.” Sam scoffed and Dean shook his head, putting the safety back on and hiding the gun back under his pillow. “I found us a case.”

“A case?” Dean groaned, kicking off the blanket he was sleeping under. His shirt was sticking to his body like a second skin and the air in the room reminisced the one escaping from a heated oven.

Fucking summer.

Dean turned his attention back to Sam, and he froze at the sight of his brother wearing nothing but boxers and a black tank top. He didn’t even know Sam owned something like this, something so tight-fitting and underlining every muscle he had. That should be illegal.

Completely inappropriate thoughts were running around Dean’s mind again before he could say a word, making him want to run away fast and hide somewhere where they wouldn’t be able to reach him. Sam couldn’t know about them, that was for certain. Dean managed to keep them hidden for most of the time, but they would make their way to the surface once in some time, making him question everything.

Dean snapped himself out of his daze before Sam could notice him staring. Fortunately, he was focused on typing something fast, completely entranced in the simple action as his fingers flied over the keyboard at an almost inhuman speed.

Sam cleared his throat and got up from the chair with laptop in his hands. “Yeah. So, get this.” He sat on the bed next to Dean and pointed at the screen, his body pressing right against Dean’s. “The police found five people burned to ash in Santa Barbara, California.”

“And that’s it?” Dean raised his eyebrows, surprised. “That’s some fucked up serial killer who likes lighting things up, not a monster. Not our kind of thing.”

“Just you wait.” Sam smirked. “Here, I’ve hacked into police records. Check this out.” He gestured to a piece of a report and Dean’s mouth fell agape when he read the paragraph.

“There’s been no trace of flammable substances,” Dean mumbled, stopping dead in his tracks. “What the fuck? You gotta be kidding me.” Dean took the laptop from Sam, scrolling through the whole report, painfully aware of the warmth radiating off of Sam as their bodies pressed against each other’s.

Dean cleared his throat and focused on the report, squinting at the too small font on the screen.

The info didn’t make any sense. The officer who had written the report claimed that all the victims had caught fire spontaneously, but there were no traces of hydrogen or anything else that could cause an explosion without being lit on fire.

As much as Dean hated to admit that, Sam was right. That was definitely their kind of thing.

***

The shower took a lot more time than a normal shower should’ve. The image of Sam in such clothing was still fresh in Dean’s mind, making his heart thud and his cock harden. There was no way Sam wouldn’t notice a hard-on he was sporting, so it was his only chance to take care of it, since Sam went out to buy something for breakfast.

Dean’s eyes fluttered shut when his fingers wrapped around his cock, a sigh escaping his lips at the feeling. His imagination was already going crazy, providing him with all the fantasies that had ever graced his mind, and he began moving his hand, biting down a groan. 

A stroke after stroke, he kept going, feeling the tension amplify, like liquid fire running through his veins. He set his pace fast, trying to turn his mind off and make it only about getting off, but there was no chance. Sam was too far under his skin not to make it about him.

Sam’s body was one thing. Proportionate, perfectly sculpted, lean and flexible. But what Sam was doing with his body was more important. The way his muscles would flex every time he’d take a swing at a vampire, the way his breathing would speed up whenever they would dig a grave, the way he would bend sometimes, like he had no bones or joints whatsoever. That was the big deal, and Dean knew he was too far gone to even care it was his brother he was thinking about.

A few more twists of his wrist and he came, painting the dark blue tiles white. He muffled a groan by putting a hand tight on his mouth, knowing he could never be too careful, and watched the come get washed off by the steady stream of water. It was gone before Dean knew it and there was absolutely no indication of what had happened a moment before, other than Dean’s flushed face and heaving chest.

Dean felt hot again and he sprayed himself with cold water fast, getting out of the shower when he heard Sam announcing he came back. He got dressed quickly, not even bothering to dry himself off, in the meantime hoping that Sam didn’t strip down to almost nothing again. 

One last look at the mirror to make sure he looked decent, and he stepped out of the bathroom, shooting a smile Sam’s way when he saw what Sam brought. Fries and a burger, he could kiss Sam for that.

Dean scolded himself immediately for that stupid thought and sat down at the table, listening to everything Sam had to say about the case. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t focus on the details and his gaze would drift to Sam’s lips more often than not.

Seemed like nothing could save him and the desire got back, sizzling under his skin, even stronger when Sam was decided to change into more comfortable clothes. Fortunately, Dean could blame his hot cheeks on the weather, but how many lies would he be able to feed Sam before he would slip up? Or, worse, before he would make his feelings clear in some weird way?

He just hoped that Impala would cooperate on terms of AC, saving him from embarrassment.

(Oh yeah, it didn’t.)

***

The whole drive to Santa Barbara was a nightmare and not even drinks straight from the cooler helped. Those provided some relief for a moment at best, but the feeling would fade away in no time, leaving them both even more miserable than earlier.

They had their windows rolled open, but there was no light breeze that could cool the inside of the car. The air outside was heavy and humid, like a thick blanket laid over the world around them, making it hard to breathe.

“I hate you.” Dean shook his head, rolling his eyes when Sam chuckled. “I really do, why couldn’t you find a case somewhere else? I’d take Alaska over this crap.” Sweat was running down his body as if someone was pouring buckets over his back, making him stick to the leather seat even through his clothes.

Sam bit his lip, trying to hold back a laugh. “Stop whining. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get out of here.”

He looked no better than Dean. Even with his hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, his face was flushed red, skin shining with a sheen of sweat. Dean had no idea how Sam never got a heatstroke, considering the amount of water he’d lose through his skin. When faced with Dean’s concerns, he would only shrug and say that it’d take a lot more than such weather to take him out.

Well, it’s not like he wasn’t right. Even this kind of weather had nothing on Hell, both of them could confirm.

Dean shook his head again, trying to snap out of his thoughts, focusing his gaze on the road ahead of them. “Yeah, and we’ll drive far away after this thing is over. Or hole up in a room with decent AC for a damn week.” Dean sighed, shuffling in his seat a bit to un-stick from the leather, but there was no success. 

The jeans were tightly enveloping his legs, feeling almost like an armor, and Dean kicked himself for not taking with him one of the very few pair of shorts he owned. What was the big deal, right? 

As horrifying as it was, Sam had seen him in those booty shorts one time when he had been washing Baby. At first, he hadn’t said a word, probably shocked, but then hadn’t done anything else than made fun of Dean for some time after that. So, normal shorts wouldn’t be a bad idea at all

Yeah, he totally had to think about it next time.

They didn’t have to drive for long, and they rolled into town eventually, happily welcoming a bit colder afternoon. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and that was a good reason not to complain anymore.

It was a bit too late to go to the police station, so Dean suggested they do that the following day, and Sam agreed, calling dibs on the shower. They were lucky, and the AC in the motel they booked a room at was working pretty damn well, even though the whole building looked like it could fall apart any minute.

Dean could only hope that the weather would be a bit less hellish the next day.

***

It took a lot of coffee to wake Dean up properly, but, like always, he would do anything not to feel like he hadn’t slept at all. The wave of heat was even worse than the day before, making Dean complain all the time as he and Sam were getting dressed into their fed suits.

“Man, stop. You’re like a grumpy grandpa, it’s getting boring.” Sam shook his head, but a smile was lingering on his face, so Dean knew he could complain some more.

He made a face at the reflection in the mirror while tying his tie, huffing theatrically when he was done. “We’re gonna suffocate in this damn heat. Not Amara, not a thousand of apocalypses will be the end of the Winchesters, but heat.”

“I will kill you if you keep talking like that, so don’t you dare blame the heat for your death afterward.” Sam elbowed Dean and put on his jacket. His hair framed his face beautifully after he ran his fingers through it, straightening it a bit.

Dean had to force himself to stop staring again.

“Yeah, whatever.” He cleared his throat, grabbing the keys to the Impala. “Let’s go.”

When Dean pushed the door open, the hot air hit him like a slap in the face, and he sighed, already feeling himself sweating. Fortunately, the Impala had been parked in the shadow, but the air was still heavy in the car as he and Sam made their way inside.

Again, AC decided to bail, and they were forced to drive with their windows rolled open, even though the airflow didn’t do much to lower the temperature inside the car. The police station was right in the middle of Santa Barbara, so they could get a good look at the town as they were driving from the motel.

Dean had to admit that maybe he wouldn’t be bitching too much about their location if they were here for a vacation instead of a case. The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight, and the streets were packed with people who were probably heading to the beach.

It had been years since Dean even saw a beach and, as much as he hated being stuck in this heat, he promised himself he would convince Sam to take a day off after they would be done with the case.

Yeah, that was a good motivation to stay in this monkey suit for a minute longer.

There didn’t have to be a single word uttered as they drove, the silence natural and comfortable between them. Sam was caught up in looking for something on his phone, probably some lore he suspected would fit the case, so Dean was able to cast little looks here and there, simply admiring how perfect his brother looked dressed so sharp.

As soon as they pulled over to a police station, the silent moments of admiration were gone, and Dean slipped into the persona he needed to be in a blink of an eye.

All the people they passed on their way were staring at them, but for Dean it seemed like they were all staring at Sam, and there was no way for Dean to avoid feeling jealous, even if he had nothing to be jealous about. Sam wasn’t his by any means, yet he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling off.

The emotion had surely reflected on his face, because next few people looked away as their gaze moved from Sam to Dean, and as ridiculous as it was, Dean took pride in that. 

Sam opened the door first and turned to look at Dean, rolling his eyes. “Dean, cut the whole grumpy man act. It shows.”

“Yeah. Cut the whole too attractive to be alive crap and we’ll talk.” Dean mumbled under his breath, following Sam inside.

People were not so subtly looking at them inside the police station, too, but Dean chalked it up to the officers not expecting anyone to come in. 

“Can I help you, gentlemen?” A tall blond man stepped in front of them both, the surfer-looking type of a guy, with tanned skin and blue eyes. With practised ease, they whipped out their badges, their heads held high, their postures confident. 

“Yes, I hope so.” Sam gave the man a smile, the dimples showing. “I’m agent Page and this is my partner, agent Bonham. FBI.” He gestured to Dean and Dean gave the officer a tight-lipped smile, eyeing the man warily.

The man raised his eyebrows. “Sheriff Evans. What do we owe the visit of mighty feds in our town?” he began, leading them both to his office.

“We’re here to investigate the wave of murders that started a few weeks ago. People turned to ash, possibly an arsonist, that kind of thing,” Dean explained and sheriff stopped dead in his tracks, turning around in a flash.

“Why would FBI be interested in something so simple? It’s only a matter of time before we find who did this.” Sheriff Evans almost barked and Dean barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes.

Sam turned on his charm, like always when they would end up having some trouble convincing they were needed in some town. “The FBI believes the substance used to burn the victims could be used as a new and dangerous weapon on a much bigger scale, hence why we’ve been sent. We need to identify both the killer and the substance as soon as possible and prevent a bigger disaster.”

“I see,” he admitted as a few officers passed them, his voice near to a whisper. “I apologize, I haven’t thought this through. In that case, I’ll show you everything we’ve got so far, come with me.”

Sam leaned to the side, stopping Dean before they started walking. “That was easy,” Sam said, his breath fanning over Dean’s ear.

“Yeah. Too easy.” Dean remarked as they both moved to follow sheriff, and he was all too aware of the sneaky suspicious feeling that had its claws wrapped around him.

***

“Maybe it’s a witch.” Sam shrugged as they exited the police station, frustrated with the lack of evidence they had found. “Lighting things on fire isn’t as complicated as it seems, but there’s no telling if the victims had the hex bags on them.”

“Witch doesn’t seem right for some reason, call it a sixth sense. Could it be the phoenix?” Dean suggested, slamming the door shut behind him as they got into the Impala.

“It could be, but I don’t think so. Not only we haven’t been able to repair the Colt yet, but the footage from the places the ashes were found at don’t show anything else than people talking to myself, then going on fire.” Sam sighed, shrugging off his jacket and throwing it onto the backseat. 

Dean started the engine, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from Sam’s chest, visible through the sweat-soaked white shirt he had on. “Yeah, that’s pretty damn weird. There’s no way to know if the phoenix reacted to mirrors and cameras like that, so, what now?”

“I say we take a look at the crime scenes, maybe we’ll find something there? Anything?” Sam ran his hand through his hair, gathering them in a messy bun afterward. 

“That’s our best shot.”

***  
Fortunately for them both, the crime scenes were all situated in abandoned alleys on the sketchy parts of the town, so they could look around all they wanted. They were all in close proximity, and it could be a pattern for them to look into later.

Sam checked the area for suspicious symbols first, but there was nothing there, save for some grafitti.

“Clear?” Dean pulled out the EMF meter out of the pocket of his jacket, turning it on.

“Yeah, clear.” Sam confirmed, turning around. “How about you? Anything?”

Dean shook his head, watching the meter stay still. “No, dammit. I fucking give up.”

He walked around the scene some more, trying the meter in all the places, but there were no effects. Right when he was about to tell Sam they should go back to their car, something on the asphalt caught his attention.

“Sammy?” Dean called out, crouching down.

“What’s up?” Sam got closer to Dean, crouching right in front of him.

Dean ran his fingers over the single horseshoe-shaped imprint left on the asphalt, frowning when the surface felt too hard. “What the hell is this?” he wondered out loud, watching the imprint from different angles.

“Huh.” Sam leaned down, strumming his fingers against the print, and a clear sound followed. “It’s some kind of a metal fused with asphalt, not only an imprint.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Dean shook his head, taking a quick pic of the asphalt. “It’s not some kind of a metal, it’s a damn horseshoe fused with asphalt. How the hell did that happen?”

Sam got up, shrugging. “It’s hot here, but not hot enough for a horseshoe to bury itself under the asphalt. We should see if we find the same thing on all the other crime scenes.”

Dean nodded as they both hurried to the Impala. “Yeah, let’s do this.”

***

The drive to the next crime scene took barely a few minutes and the horseshoe fused with asphalt was right in the middle of the street, looking completely out of place. Dean couldn’t help but wonder why the occurrence of that thing wasn’t mentioned in the reports, but it was possible that the police didn’t pay attention to that at all. After all, why would someone think there was a connection between the two?

Not to mention the fact that the asphalt was melting in the heat and objects stuck in it weren’t probably something out of the ordinary there.

After checking all the crime scenes and finding horseshoes at each one, it was obvious that there had to be something about it that would give them both an idea of what they were up against.

When they got back to the motel, they didn’t bother changing, simply got undressed to their boxers, and sat on their respective beds. Even with AC working its butt off, the motel room seemed a bit warmer than when they had left it, and Dean had no idea what to do about that.

They started researching in the earnest immediately, their fingers flying over the keyboards. Sam had archived all the information contained in the Bunker library, so they didn’t have to drag any paperbacks with them. A good wifi connection and a laptop was all that either of them needed.

As surprising as it was, absolutely nothing came up when Dean tried to search for anything horseshoe related, other than the usual “horseshoe bring luck the person who has it” thing. Yeah, that didn’t fit at all. Those people who had been turned to ash had been as far from lucky as it could have gotten.

Horse related lore was a total fiasco, too. Kelpie and unicorns didn’t fit the case they had right in front of their eyes, so the internet was their lost hope.

“This is insane.” Sam uttered after some time and Dean hissed when he turned his head to ask Sam what was going on, his neck stiff.

“What’s insane?” he asked, pushing himself up from the bed to walk around the room a bit.

Sam typed some more and stretched out on the bed, setting the laptop next to his lap. While buried in research, Dean didn’t have the time to eye Sam properly, but now that his brother was sprawled out on the bed, with only boxers on, there was no way he could simply look away.

Whenever Sam changed his clothes, Dean would turn around or busy himself with something, so that his downstairs brain wouldn’t embarrass him, but there was no running away from that now. And he was only in boxers, too, so it would all be obvious. Fucking shit.

“There’s a legend going around about something called a Ghost Rider.” Sam began, but Dean raised his hand, silencing him. His mind would drift away to other things if he didn’t force himself to do something else than stare at Sam’s lap.

Fuck, he could almost see the outline of Sam’s cock through the cotton material.

“Like, Nicolas Cage’s Ghost Rider? Tell me you’re fucking with me.” Dean ran his hand through his hair, continuing pacing around the room to distract himself.

Sam sounded offended when he started talking again. “Dude, come on. I mean, yeah, it’s kind of the same thing, but this Ghost Rider is apparently not a motorcycle owner, but a horse owner. I mean, judging by the horseshoes, ‘cause there’s no info on it here.”

“Makes sense. What do you got on him?” Dean sat back on the bed, strumming his fingers against his bare thigh.

“Not much. The Rider in the human punishes the evil people by burning them to ash. That’s about it,” Sam explained, shrugging.

Dean closed his laptop, crossing his arms behind his head as he got comfortable on the bed. “Well, that’s a start. So, we’re looking for someone who has a horse, basically?” 

“Yeah, it seems so. Won’t be easy, since there’s a lot of stables around this place.” Sam sighed, running his hand through his hair. “We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

“At least that’s nothing new.” Dean raised his eyebrows and Sam laughed, getting up from the bed.

Sam put on his clothes fast and took his wallet, the sound of his stomach rumbling echoing in the small motel room. “Gonna get us something to eat, what do you want?” 

“Anything goes,” Dean responded, rolling onto his stomach as Sam crossed the room in a few strides, his hand already on the door knob.

“Okay, be back soon.”

***

Dean only realized he had fallen asleep when the door to the motel room burst open, and his gaze moved onto Sam the moment his brother got inside and closed the door behind him.

“Dean.” Sam breathed out, walking toward the bed Dean was laying at, and Dean raised his eyebrows, surprised that Sam didn’t bring anything with him. His shirt was a bit disheveled, torn open in few places. It wasn’t pure white anymore, but coated with a fine layer of dust, or, maybe it was ash?

Dean rose from the bed and moved in between the beds instinctively, his back flush against the wall as he tried to take a better look at Sam from away. Something was wrong. “Sammy, what’s going on?”

“I need you,” he responded, starting to shed his clothes right where he stood, and Dean’s mouth went agape at the sight.

Dean could lie all he wanted, but even though the situation was fucked up to say at least, his cock reacted like nothing weird was going on, straining against his boxers the moment Sam stopped undressing, left only in his boxers. The sight in front of Dean’s eyes was surely the reason for the warmth that spread through Dean’s body, because there was no way the heat would make its way inside the motel room.

Or, maybe something else was up, too.

“I’m right here, little brother.” Dean assured, a nervous half-smile on his face. “Tell me what happened outside, okay?”

Sam shook his head, getting closer and closer to Dean with every beat of Dean’s heart. Dean could tell it was his little brother; everything about him was the same, only his actions seemed to be fueled by an outside force. “I can’t say, I just need you.”

Dean froze when Sam’s chest pressed right against his, his body betraying him even in such a situation. “Sammy, you’re not yourself.” Dean stuttered, desperately trying to hold himself back from doing anything when he felt Sam’s hot lips right next to his ear.

“Dee, I am.” There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice and Dean locked his gaze with Sam’s, his heart aching at the tear-glazed eyes of his little brother. “But I have to, or it’s going to hurt.” He added, trailing his fingers over Dean’s bare arm.

A shiver ran through Dean’s body at the action and he melted into the touch involuntarily, gritting his teeth to get his mind back to the reality. Before he had the chance to say anything, Sam silenced him with a kiss, and it was both the most beautiful and most terrifying at once.

The sensation seemed electric, and his mind was ready to just go with it, but Dean managed to gain some self-control and gently pushed Sam away. “It’s the Rider, isn’t it?” The realization dawned on Dean immediately. “He’s making you do this, oh my god.”

“He’s just pushing me to do what I’ve always wanted to do,” Sam whispered and Dean couldn’t hold himself back from reaching for Sam, sneaking his fingers under his brother’s chin. “And then he’s going to punish me for it.”

The blood went cold in Dean’s veins at that, even though he could feel the heat radiating off his brother and the desire was already making its way to the surface, trying its best to cloud Dean’s mind again. “That’s not gonna happen,” Dean retorted, backing away at the fire dancing on Sam’s orbs.

It wasn’t just want in the way he was looking at Dean, but real fire, orange and red flames enveloping the hazel Dean loved since he had first seen it. “I can’t control it, Dean.” Sam cried out, hanging his head low like he was afraid of what Dean had seen. “He burned me and the fire’s in me, it’s only a matter of time before it goes off.”

His skin went alight as if to confirm his statement, his veins bursting with all types of warm colors, but the fire didn’t burn Dean when he touched it. In fact, Dean didn’t feel anything. “No, Sammy. You got this, see?”

Dean trailed his fingers over Sam’s cheek, in time to collide with the flames starting to frame Sam’s face. “No, I’m going to hurt you.” Sam opened his eyes as he took a step back, in shock at the sight of Dean being completely untouched by the fire. “That’s impossible.”

“It’s not.” Dean let out a sigh of relief, taking a deep breath as he realized it wasn’t the end. “We need to stop the Rider, who is he?”

A scream tore from Sam’s throat when he opened his mouth to say something and Dean hissed at the sting of the burn, realizing the fire had turned to the path of destruction by that simple action Sam had made. “I can’t.” He gritted through clenched teeth, the fire completely enveloping his body.

Dean watched terrified as the flames licked over Sam’s skin, but it didn’t seem like they were burning him, however the way Sam’s face twisted was a clear indicator of the fact that the pain alone was present. To say that Dean was terrified of what was going to happen next would be an understatement.

“Okay, let’s try something else.” Dean closed his eyes for a moment, desperately trying to think of a solution. “Have we met that son of a bitch? Just nod or shake your head, don’t say anything,” he ordered, locking his gaze with Sam’s.

There was a barely-there nod before Sam doubled over in pain, screaming loud, and Dean’s heart ached at the thought that he couldn’t help his little brother yet. “Okay, good. God, Sammy, I’m so sorry.” Dean uttered, but Sam shook his head, ever the brave one. “Does it hurt the same still, or is it fading away?”

“I’m fine.” Sam coughed, straightening his back slowly. He forced a smile and gave Dean a nod, even though the flames were still burning bright. “I mean it, it’s not as strong as it was before.”

“Okay.” Dean ran his hands through his hair, chewing on his lip. “We’ve met the son of a bitch and we’ve only been at the police station so we should get there and find him.” Dean decided, putting on his clothes quickly, and Sam followed suit, surprising Dean with the fact that his clothes weren’t getting destroyed by the flames.

Sam noticed Dean’s shocked gaze and shrugged, the light from his body illuminating the room. “I have no idea how this works, but it’s not the same as an usual fire.”

“Fine.” As weird the situation was, Dean couldn’t hold back a smile at such a normal response from Sam. “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing the gun from under the pillow, even though he didn’t think that it would have much of an effect on a damn burning man.

The flames dimmed a bit as they got out of the motel room, and Dean held a breath when they got inside the Impala. The flames didn’t even touch the interior, only kept enveloping Sam’s body so there was no way the car would blow up with both of them inside, and that filled Dean with the sense of peace, as ridiculous as it sounded.

The tires squeaked when Dean slammed the gas pedal, speeding toward the police station and weaving through the cars that were on his way. He ran a red light two times as the streets were quite empty on that part of the town, even though it seemed quite strange, considering that there should be drunk teenagers and tourists walking around.

Either the heat got even worse during the night, which was completely ridiculous, or Sam was warming the inside of the car up, because it was scorching hot in the Impala, even with the windows rolled open. Dean could barely breathe, but he kept going, knowing that only the Rider could have a solution for that problem of theirs.

And he hoped that killing the creature would make all the effects go the fuck away.

It was eerily quiet when they parked outside of the police station, ducking behind the car when they heard the clip clop of the hooves hitting the street. However, that sound rang a lot loudly than a normal sound of the horse walking around would, and Dean exhaled slowly, knowing that they were about to face the Rider.

“How do we kill him?” Sam whispered, the flames licking at his skin getting brighter every second, probably reacting to the presence of the rider. They seemed untameable, a wild force of nature, but they reacted to Sam clearly, and that had Dean in awe.

How the hell was his brother capable of that?

Dean chuckled dryly. “We’ll figure something out.”

Before Sam had the chance to say something, Dean emerged from out of the car, facing the threat, even though every instinct inside his body was telling him to run away. The urge to do anything to protect Sam, however, was the strongest instinct of them all.

They had gotten the part of the Rider riding a horse right, it seemed, but it wasn’t a normal horse. The beast was all metal and grease, flames bursting out of its nostrils as it fidgeted in place under the Rider. The Rider’s body was on fire, the flames so bright that Dean had to squint in order to look at the creature directly.

He was completely dressed, a police officer’s uniform fitted tight to his form, completely untouched by the flames. He didn’t have a face, only a flaming skull in place of it, but Dean was able to recognize who he was, thanks to the sheriff Evans’ badge sitting tight on his uniform.

They had had the Rider under their nose when they had walked into the police station.

“What a surprise,” the Rider said and Dean took a step to the side as the horse moved closer. “You should be dead, so should your brother.”

“Never underestimate the Winchesters,” Dean said, his fingers tight on the gun hidden in the pocket of his leather jacket. He had no idea what to do, or how to kill that thing, but damn if he wasn’t going to give his smart brother the time to figure it out.

The Rider laughed, but it reminisced rather the sound of two metal plates colliding, ringing in Dean’s ears long after it was gone. “Fair point. But that brings me to the next question. What happened to Sam, if he’s not dead?”

Dean shrugged, taking a few steps to the right, and the Rider’s horse shadowed his movements. “You should’ve come up with something better to get rid of him. He’s been through Hell, like, literally, and you’re trying to kill him with fire? Half-assed idea, if you ask me.”

His gaze fell over the saddle and a chain neatly tangled around the pommel, the metal rings nearly red from the heat. There was no telling if it was a weapon or not, but there was only one way to find out.

“I would say that you shouldn’t underestimate the fire, Dean, even if I’m not the only one in power of this element.” The Rider growled and the horse reared, making Dean take a few steps back. It looked majestic in a way, Dean had to admit. “You’ll both burn, and I’ll make sure of it, not only because of the sick feelings you’re too scared to act on, but because of how many people you’ve killed throughout your lives.”

Dean couldn’t suppress a shudder at such an accusation, but knowing that Sam surely heard it too pushed him to defend them both. “Sick? You’re talking about the same feelings that helped us save the world god knows how many times?” he shook his head in disbelief, taking a few steps forward. “And fuck off with that whining, none of the people on Earth would still be alive if it weren’t for us.”

The Rider charged Dean’s way and Dean jumped to the right at last moment, avoiding the flames swallowing him whole, the heat from the fire making his cheeks redden. 

“You think you’re both heroes? How pathetic of you, trying to justify all of your mistakes with the few people you’ve managed to save from the harsh fate.” The Rider mocked, untangling the chain with a one snap of his wrist, the metal rings glowing in the dark. “You’re the same as me, and don’t try to lie to yourself that you aren’t.”

There was nowhere for Dean to run as the Rider snapped the chain forward, the heated metal wrapping around Dean’s waist, sizzling through his clothes. The pain was already evident, and Dean screamed in his bindings, feeling the fire burn his flesh ever so slowly.

The Rider didn’t have the chance to do anything else as Sam ran from behind the car, grasping the chain tightly in his hands and unwrapping Dean as fast as he could.

“Sorry for the wait, but I’ve got an idea now,” Sam said, but Dean waved it off once Sam freed him, much to the dismay of the Rider. 

The Rider tugged at the chain and Sam fell forward, barely able to keep his footing as the horse kept moving around, trying to make him lose his grip. “What do you think you’re doing with this?” he spat as the horse reared again, making Sam get dangerously close to its hooves.

At a last moment, Sam rolled to the side, avoiding getting crashed by the horse, and got up from the ground, the flames so strong they were almost as blinding in their intensity as the Rider’s. “You’ll see.” He planted his feet firmly on the asphalt, the fire making the street under him melt as he struggled to stay in place.

Dean watched the fight unrolling in front of him with both awe and fear, having no idea what to expect next. He ripped his clothes off his body quick, hissing when the materials ripped out a fair bit of the skin from his waist. He was still eager to help his brother fight the monster, but he had no idea how to do that, at least not at a first glance.

“Sam, get into the Impala!” Dean shouted, starting the car abruptly. “Come on!”

Sam turned at the sound of Dean’s voice, the wheels in his head turning as he processed Dean’s suggestion for a moment. He gave Dean a nod and ran toward the car, letting go of the chain for a moment.

Dean jumped out of the driver’s seat when Sam got closer, and the engine roared to life like a wounded animal when Sam laid his hands on the steering wheel. Before Dean could blink, the Impala was on fire, but it wasn’t a danger anymore, only something that Sam seemed to completely control.

The sight was mesmerizing as the car seemed to morph under Sam’s will, the metal so hot from the heat it was red and sizzling. The flames burst from under the hood, flaming red a striking contrast against the black paint, and Dean watched as Sam lead the Impala to crash into the Rider, knocking down the horse he was sitting on.

The metal elements clattered around the parking lot like parts of an used toy when the horse ceased to exist, the only thing left for the Rider to fight with was the chain. Dean didn’t hesitate and grabbed the chain from the ground, tossing it to Sam, even though the metal burned like a bitch the second he held it in his grip.

Dean dropped to the ground the moment Sam stopped the car and caught the chain. He snapped the chain in the direction of the Rider, managing to wrap it around the monster’s neck. The Rider struggled for a moment as Sam tightened the loop, eventually letting out an inhuman shriek as it began burning more fiercely, the metal melting right in front of their eyes.

The pain caught up to Dean only when the Rider disappeared, the flames disappearing both from Sam and the Impala. He gritted his teeth as Sam helped him get up from the ground, carefully avoiding touching the burned skin.

“You got him.” Dean grinned and Sam gave him a nod as they got into the Impala, sitting in silence for a moment before Dean spoke again. “How the hell did you do that?”

Sam let out a hushed laugh, shaking his head. “I wish I knew, but it felt like being on demon blood again.” He cut off for a moment, clearly hesitating. “The fire, the burn, the pain. It wasn’t anything new, that’s why I didn’t have that much trouble controlling it.”

“As fucked up as it seems, it kinda makes sense.” Dean let out, biting on his lip as he brushed his burned fingers over the interior of the Impala.

“Let’s go the the motel, you need to get it patched up.” Sam ordered, starting the Impala, and Dean let his eyes flutter shut for a moment, trusting Sam to get him there safe.

***

Dean awoke to a sharp pain coursing through him and glanced at his body, groaning at the sight of the ointment covering his burned waist. His fingers were wrapped loosely in sterile gauze bandage and he didn’t even try to move them, knowing it would hurt like hell.

“Dean, you okay?” Sam was by his side instantly, the bed dipping under his weight when he sat on the edge.

“I’m alive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dean teased, clearing his throat at the roughness in his voice. 

Damn, his throat felt like a fucking desert.

Sam shook his head at that, reaching out to touch Dean, but backing away at a last minute. “I know, jerk,” he said quietly and Dean cursed under his breath, his mind catching up to what had occurred between them two before they had gone out to face the Rider.

That kiss was fresh in his mind, even though there was no telling if it was a clear reflection of Sam’s feelings or maybe a manipulation used by a Rider. Dean didn’t know, and he had to find out as fast as possible.

“Sammy?” Dean whispered, laying his hand on Sam’s shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief when he didn’t flinch at his touch. “Was what you said true?”

It took a second before Sam turned to face him, an unreadable expression on his face. “Which part?”

“You said that you were only doing what you’ve always wanted to do.” Dean’s gaze caught with Sam’s as he continued. “Was that true?”

“It was, but we can forget that ever happened. We can go back to how it’s always been and pretend-”

Dean cut him off, shaking his head. “No. There’s no need to pretend if I’ve always wanted the same thing.” His heart was thudding so fast, it seemed like it was about to burst out of his chest.

His words caught up to Sam a moment later and a question made its way out of Sam’s mouth, his voice shaky. “Y-you have?”

A single nod was all that Dean managed in response, but the smile on Sam’s face told him that it was all Sam needed to know. 

Complete silence enveloped the room as Dean shuffled closer to Sam, biting down a hiss when he supported himself to sit with his burned fingers. Sam moved from the edge of the bed to Dean as well, clearly drawn to his brother, like moth to flame. They stopped once their bodies were touching, skin on skin, their faces mere inches away.

“That wasn’t a real kiss, you now.” Dean smiled and Sam seemed confused for a moment, leaning into Dean’s touch the moment Dean pushed the hair away from his face. “We should make this one our first.”

Sam bit on his lip, his eyes reflecting all the emotions running through his head. “Then why the hell are you stalling?” he challenged and Dean shook his head, slowly leaning forward.

And when their lips crashed together, Dean could tell the spark that ran through his body was the realest fire in the whole world.

Nothing else would ever come close to that.


End file.
